Definition
Vietnamese oud is the agarwood oil distilled from Aquilaria crassna, the main producing species in Vietnam, with local input from A. baillonii and, in the south, A. malaccensis. The historic terroirs are Khanh Hoa, Quang Nam, the central highlands and Phu Quoc island (source: FAO, Conservation and Use of Aquilaria crassna in Vietnam).
Olfactive profile
The Vietnamese profile reads greener, more aromatic and camphoraceous than Cambodian oud, with a honey-molasses thread and a balsamic sweetness of fermented fruit. It is less leather, less barnyard and less animalic than Indian oud from A. malaccensis (source: Premiere Peau, Vietnamese Oud).
The Khanh Hoa terroir, long regarded as the most coveted origin in the world, yields oils led by a camphor-fruit and clean-woody signature. Houses that work it neat or as a signature include Ensar Oud, Areej Le Dore, the Oud collection at Amouage, Henry Jacques and, on occasion, Slumberhouse.
Production and CITES
Wild stocks were heavily depleted through the second half of the twentieth century. Since the 1990s, Vietnam has developed a plantation supply chain with artificial inoculation of the fungus that triggers resin formation, and this has been the dominant source from the 2000s onward (source: Springer, Agarwood Production in Southeast Asia).
A. crassna was listed on CITES Appendix II in 2005 at CoP13. Every international shipment requires a permit. Premium oils from Khanh Hoa and Quang Nam trade at 50 to 200 euros per gram, in the same range as the best Cambodian grades.
Sources
- Premiere Peau, Vietnamese Oud in Perfumery (accessed 4 June 2026)
- FAO, Conservation and Use of Aquilaria crassna in Vietnam, A Case Study (accessed 4 June 2026)
- Springer, Growing The Wood of The Gods, Agarwood Production in Southeast Asia (accessed 4 June 2026)
- CITES, Thirteenth Conference of the Parties, 2004, listing of Aquilaria spp. (accessed 4 June 2026)
- Ensar Oud, Vietnamese Aquilaria crassna range (accessed 4 June 2026)